Mindfulness at Salesfive

Mindfulness. A trendy word that appears out of nowhere and is suddenly used in abundance. And mostly without people knowing exactly what mindfulness actually means. Mindfulness is the German word for it and has been on everyone's lips for some time. Whether in private life, on social networks or in everyday work, the topic of mindfulness has become indispensable. If you think about it, it's a good thing and not at all surprising that the topic is currently so present in our society and is gaining in importance in all companies. 

Because we train our body, it is strengthened, but our mind? It has to somehow keep up and keep going. This can be a challenge, especially in a professional context: According to the DRV Bund, the proportion of people who retired early due to mental health problems has risen from 18.6 to 43 percent over the last 22 years.  

And that is precisely why it is important to develop an awareness of oneself and one's surroundings. But what does that mean in concrete terms? Mindfulness is about being mindful of yourself, your body and your environment. Being aware of what is going on inside and outside - in doing so, the human being is brought into focus. 

The DRV Bund study also says that mindfulness helps 85 percent of respondents deal with stress at work. Mindfulness and meditation have long since arrived in conference rooms and are taken very seriously by many companies. But why? Because employees can't take care of customers, colleagues and work if they're paying attention to their breathing, meditating or taking a short yoga break.

"Because companies that are sustainable and thinking ahead have learned that appreciation means value creation, not the opposite"

says mindfulness trainer Caroline Stiller, who works as a consultant and coach in Kiel. So don't worry: working time spent on mindfulness is definitely not wasted. Small mindfulness exercises lead to less stress among employees.

This means fewer mistakes, more effective work and a satisfied team. It is also healthy for the body. Stress impairs the immune system. So: less stress, less sick leave. A win-win situation for companies, employees and customers. 

So mindfulness in the workplace is an important topic to ensure that employees are more relaxed and happy at work. And that's exactly why Salesfive has developed a Mindfulness Plan to make our employees happier all around.  

Unfortunately, the majority of companies attach too little importance to the mental health of their employees. Yet a lot is demanded of them - especially in consulting, stress cannot be reduced. It is therefore all the more important to find a balance that enables our employees to cope better with stress.  

But is there any interest at all? To find out, our Senior HR Manager Nadine Kieffer conducted a survey and asked our employees: For whom is the topic of mindfulness relevant? And who is interested in yoga and meditation sessions? In this way, we were able to find out what our employees want and need. 

We quickly noticed how positive the reactions were, how much desire and interest there was. So Nadine, together with other Fivers, created a Mindfulness Plan that runs throughout 2022 and is divided into two areas: Mental and Physical Health.